After 500 km and several hours behind the wheel of the Audi A6 40 TDI , only five words occur to me to describe it: im-per-tur-ba-ble. If there is a car that makes long journeys child's play, the A6 is without a doubt one of them.
The freeway is definitely your natural environment, conveying enormous confidence when at your command, even when the speeds you practice are on the wrong side of (our) law — which Lord of the Rings, the A6 is Lord of the Autobahns…
Stability is superb, even at speeds… unstoppable; comfort, not only for the driver but also for the occupants, is always high; mechanical, rolling or aerodynamic noises, always absent or at a minimum level — at… XXX km/h there is some murmuring around the mirrors…
2.0 TDI, enough?
The 40 displayed on the rear reveals its status as an…access engine — learn to decipher Audi's designations. That is, a “mere” four cylinder in-line with 2.0 l, powered by the most demonized of fuels, diesel. However, those who think it is not an engine up to the A6's stradista capabilities are mistaken.
There are "only" 204 hp for more than 1700 kg, that's for sure — two tons is more realistic with four occupants on board, as it happened — but they arrived and left over for the orders. Paired with the very good seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox, which when left to its own devices very rarely felt lost, the 2.0 TDI has always proved to be a refined and sophisticated companion, more than fit for purpose.
It won't win any war at traffic lights, but it allows takings of several hours as if nothing were, with the typical Diesel vices very well suppressed, when it comes to vibrations or noise. And the best of all? Consumptions.
Area that Singleframe occupies has grown from generation to generation at Audi.
It spent more going than coming, curiously, since the speeds practiced were, on average, higher on the way back than on the way out — a question of geography…? The on-board computer registered 7.2 l/100 km on the way and 6.6 l/100 km on the way.
At more moderate speeds it is easy to see consumption in the region of 5 l/100 km, which is remarkable considering the size and weight of the car. More than 1000 km per deposit is guaranteed, if you opt for the optional deposit of 73 l (135 euros), as was the case with our unit.
the weight of the weight
Unperturbed, was how I defined the Audi A6 at the beginning of this text, a quality to which its driving and interaction with its interior greatly contributes. From the steering to the pedals, to the lowering of the sun visor, everything, but even everything is characterized by having a certain weight in its operation.
Driving position is easy to find thanks to multiple adjustments.
However, at times, the satisfying weight of all the controls proved to be counterproductive in parts, such as the need to press a little harder than we'd expect the virtual buttons on the MMI's pair of touch screens, with haptic response and sonorous. Nothing that undermines your assessment.
The interior design is quite sophisticated and even somewhat avant-garde in appearance and presentation, highlighting the integration of the pair of central screens, surrounded by piano black surfaces. It externalizes certain architectural qualities, as if it were a single, solid modeled block, conveying an enormous sensation of solidity and robustness.
There is no lack of space in the back, unless we want to put a third passenger in the middle.
There are no repairs to the interior design at Audi — at least on this level. From the choice of materials, to the contact points, to interaction with the controls, the A6's interior is a tactile delight.
Subscribe to our newsletter
Guilherme had at the presentation of the Audi A6 last year where he allowed us to better discover some of the technological arguments of the A6, C8 generation. I leave you the video we published at the time, where he was at the wheel precisely of the 40 TDI, albeit with other options, such as the integration of the S Line package.
Is the car right for me?
If your time at the wheel is mostly on the motorway or expressways, it's hard not to recommend the Audi A6 40 TDI. It's not a rocket, but it allows high rhythms and moderate consumption. Even after long hours at the wheel, you'll come out of its solid and well soundproofed interior “fresh as lettuce”.
Not the most agile creature for curves. Efficient and predictable, no doubt, but for those who like more agile cars, it's better to look in the segment below — or else, maybe it's worth testing a rear-steered unit...
Our unit was equipped with adaptive suspension (Advance package, 3300 euros) which was always up to the challenge, even when we left the motorway on more degraded and winding roads.
There are driving modes, but honestly, you can hardly tell them apart — it's one of the features you could easily do without.
With a price of over 70 thousand euros , of course, at this level, it's not for every purse, and this unit didn't even have a long list of options — even so they add practically 11 thousand euros to the price. For its qualities and what it offers, and even compared to its rivals, the price doesn't seem out of line, especially when you can spend similar amounts on buying an SUV two segments below…
